Residential Care

Residential care refers to any group living arrangement where children are looked after by paid staff in a specially designated facility. It covers a wide variety of settings ranging from emergency shelters and small group homes, to larger-scale institutions such as orphanages or children’s homes. As a general rule, residential care should only be provided on a temporary basis, for example while efforts are made to promote family reintegration or to identify family based care options for children. In some cases however, certain forms of residential care can operate as a longer-term care solution for children.

Residential care can be a positive alternative for some girls and boys when it is used appropriately and meets certain standards. For example, small group home living arrangements or supported independent living can work well in cases where children (often older teenagers) don’t feel comfortable in a family setting, or where large groups of siblings want to stay together. Similarly in cases where children have suffered trauma, severe abuse or neglect, have a severe disability or require specialised support, small group settings where trained staff can provide therapeutic care may be an appropriate care option. As much as possible, residential facilities should be small, community-based, organised to resemble a family-type or small-group situation and allow for sufficient staff to provide individualised attention to children.

It is important to distinguish between residential care and institutional care, which should only be used as a last and temporary resort for children. Institutional care refers to large-scale group care within big institutional facilities and has been associated with a wide range of problems for children including physical, social and emotional under-development - with babies and infants under the age of three especially vulnerable to lasting harm. Long periods in an institution can deprive children of positive individual attention from consistent caregivers, make it difficult for them to assimilate back into a family and community, and are often linked to increased risk of sexual and physical abuse, a lack of stimulation, and harsh discipline.

In recent years, deinstitutionalisation has been at the heart of national care reform efforts, which seek to reduce reliance on institutional care and to promote family and community based care options for children instead. This includes efforts to promote ethical volunteerism within residential care centres, educate donors and to avoid proliferation of orphanages and children’s homes after humanitarian emergencies.

The documents in this section outline residential care options for children, examine the damaging impact of institutions, explore family and community-based care alternatives and describe care reform efforts including initiatives around ethical volunteerism.

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The Report of the Committee for Analysing Data of Mapping and Review Exercise of Child Care Institutions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Other Homes

Government of India, Ministry of Women and Child Development, 01 Sep 2018

This National Mapping Exercise covering all Child Care Institutions(CCIs)/Homes in the country, except 34 CCIs/Homes in Uttar Pradesh, sheds light on the functioning of CCIs/Homes across the country, in the context of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The findings of this report are expected to provide necessary guidance to all stakeholders regarding improvements required in policy formulation and implementation in future.

Executive Summary: Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children: A Formative Evaluation of UNICEF’S Child Protection Programme in Cambodia (Khmer Language)

UNICEF Cambodia, 01 Sep 2018

The objective of this evaluation was to provide evidence that can help strengthen performance and accountability with UNICEF’s work with the Royal Government of Cambodia and the myriad other authorities and organizations involved in child protection.

Comparing Long-Term Placement Outcomes of Residential and Family Foster Care: A Meta-Analysis

Dongdong Li, Grace S. Chng, Chi Meng Chu - Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 31 Aug 2018

This study presents findings from three separate meta-analyses investigating differences between children placed in residential care and in family foster care with regard to three outcomes: internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and perception of care.

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Health problems and healthcare needs among youth in Swedish secure residential care

Bo Vinnerljung, Stefan Kling, Anders Hjern - International Journal of Social Welfare, 20 Aug 2018

International research has consistently reported that youth in secure residential care have high rates of somatic/dental health problems. Here, the authors report results from the first such study in a Nordic country.

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Institutional Care: Identification before Education

Gauri Nagpal & Dr. Supreet Kaur - IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 16 Aug 2018

This paper brings to fore the need to compile an accurate and comprehensive database for children living in institutional care in India.

Global NextGen Index

Global Campaign to End Child Immigration Detention, 13 Aug 2018

Launching on International Youth Day, 12 August 2018, the Global NextGen Index uses annual scorecards to evaluate 22 states on their progress to implement alternatives to child immigration detention.

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Children Deprived of Their Liberty on ‘Welfare’ Grounds: A Critical Perspective

Deena Haydon - Human Rights and Incarceration, 10 Aug 2018

Focused on the UK, this chapter considers the relevance of human rights in relation to children who are deprived of their liberty by the state on ‘welfare’ grounds for their own or others’ protection.

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Youth perspectives on parents’ involvement in residential care in Israel

Yafit Sulimani-Aidan & Yuval Paldi - Journal of Social Work, 09 Aug 2018

This exploratory study deals with biological parents’ involvement in residential placement in Israel from the point of view of 79 youth who left care.

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Children and adolescents in institutional care versus traditional families: a quality of life comparison in Japan

Takahiro Nakatomi, Shuhei Ichikawa, Hideki Wakabayashi, Yousuke C. Takemura - Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 28 Jul 2018

This research compared the quality of life (QOL) of children and adolescents in Japan who live in Children’s Homes (CHs) with that of children and adolescents living in traditional families.

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Out-of-home placement in early childhood and psychiatric diagnoses and criminal convictions in young adulthood: a population-based propensity score-matched study

Sylvana MCôté, Massimiliano Orri, Mikko Marttila, Tiina Ristikari - The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 27 Jul 2018

This study aimed to compare the rates of psychiatric diagnoses and criminal convictions in young adulthood (ages 18–25 years) among children who were first placed at ages 2–6 years with those of children who were not placed and who had similar sociodemographic and family characteristics.

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